October 19, 2009 News Read > Hawaii Free Press

Hawaii Daily News Read

Monday, October 19, 2009

October 19, 2009 News Read
By Andrew Walden @ 12:19 PM :: 9890 Views

Democrat Borreca plays "Furlough blame game"

So she is watching Hawaii's leaders closely for their response to Furlough Fridays, a budget-cutting plan that is shaping up as a political disaster.

Shutting the schools 17 Fridays this year and an additional 24 Fridays in 2010 has set off a new round of worry for political and community leaders.

"There is a widespread feeling of outrage waiting to be mobilized," said James Koshiba, one of the founders of (Democrat/Union front group) Kanu Hawaii, a community improvement organization.

(RELATED: Kanu Hawaii calls for tax increases, raid on Hurricane Fund: http://www.kanuhawaii.org/today/article/?id=1255469684255188)

Beyond the finger-pointing, a solution remains elusive.

"I don't think there is anyone who would say they don't want to do something, but the question is, What are we going to do?" said Hanabusa. "You can't address this problem without money."

Sen. Norman Sakamoto, Education Committee chairman, says he has been quietly sounding out fellow Democrats to see whether they are willing to return before the start of the 2010 Legislature in January to fund the furlough days and keep the teachers in the classroom.

"Unless the governor proposes a specific dollar amount, it will be difficult for us to come back before the regular session," he added.

(OK. Here's a simple solution. The Legislature should enact a law making every DoE school a Charter school. That will solve this entire problem in one stroke without raising taxes.)

Parents weigh furlough options as 1st day approaches

With the first furlough of public school teachers set for this Friday, many community child care programs are reporting heavy interest from parents...

(Yet all of them report still having openings. So interest is not as heavy as the Advertiser have you believe.)

Both Kamaaina Kids and YMCA of Honolulu, the largest providers of after school child care in the state and now the two most prominent organizations with Furlough Friday programs, said enrollment has been steady since their programs were announced. Still, officials with both programs expect there will be space available on Friday, the first scheduled furlough day.

Meanwhile, some smaller furlough-related educational programs are filling up. Diamond Head Theatre said it is full for the fall semester. Bishop Museum said it is full for the first furlough day.

(Why attempt to make it appear as if there were a huge scramble for furlough Fridays? Simple. To pressure the legislature to increase taxes and raid the Hurricane Fund to feed the venal and disgusting DoE.)

Waikiki retailers hurt by tourism slump

Hawaii retailers have been feeling the slump in tourism — with the average daily spending by Hawaii's biggest visitor market down about 17 percent from last year.

Maui News Poll: What should the state water commission decide about the waters of Na Wai Eha?

(It sure is easy to give away some one else's water.)

Hamakua land sale draws protest

A couple of dozen people seek a way for the government to keep land away from productive uses by private owners. They claim to be defending agriculture. Only about 4% of Hawaii land is in the hands of individual private owners. The rest is divided between large trusts and government.

ADV: Kauai green energy efforts show promise

The cult at work: All you have to do is PROPOSE a "environmental" project and suddenly the Advertiser editorial board is cheering you on and trying to put all the pieces together. Maybe the promoters should get cane production commitments first, eh?

Timeshare: Consultant lashes back at attempt to ‘silence criticism’

“The idea of paying an annual maintenance fee equal to what we currently pay at Marriott’s Kaua‘i Beach Villas in Lihu‘e doesn’t go down very well,” said John Palshaw, who has owned a timeshare for 11 years at The Point at Po‘ipu. “The differences in services available, in pool quality and in beach availability represent a huge disparity ... making it very hard to justify a $1,400 annual fee at The Point.”

Fees doubled from $695 in 2001 to more than $1,400 per week in 2009. Owners have been outspoken about their concerns regarding the elevated prices and feeling powerless when it comes to maintenance and management fees, as the majority of Vacation Owners Association and Association of Apartment Owners board members are employees of Diamond Resorts International.

Weather system south of Islands now tropical storm Neki

The National Weather Service says the storm is about 825 miles south of Honolulu and moving west-northwest at about 14 mph. Neki has maximum sustained winds of 40 mph.

The storm is expected to intensify today and into the night before becoming a hurricane tomorrow.

IMAGE: http://www.ssd.noaa.gov/goes/west/cpac/loop-wv.html

Website to post 35-page complaint against longshot gubernatorial candidate

Please stay tuned for this week's online posting of the official multi-count, 35-page complaint which will shortly be submitted to the State of Hawaii's Campaign Spending Commission.... Several hundred pages of exhibits, including internal campaign e-mails, only begin to tell the sordid tale of fraudulent campaign finance reporting and practices by Citizens for Carroll, a registered candidate committee.